Sushma takes apart 'feel-good' claims

Nilanjana Jha, INDIATIMES NEWS NETWORKFeb 28, 2007, 08.00pm IST

NEW DELHI: With friends and foes alike ripping into P Chidambaram's latest Budget, the Congress on Tuesday put up a hasty defence patting itself on the back for having addressed the cornerstones of development - education and health.

Well, it had not counted on a canny woman in the Opposition whipping out her calculator to tear into that contention as well. Vocal BJP leader and former cabinet minister Sushma Swaraj has figures rolling off her tongue as she takes apart PC's "feel-good" claims.

A few hours after the Budget was presented, Swaraj states that the government is in fact intending to fund its most touted social priority - education -- primarily through the cess collected from the taxpayer.

"The Finance Minister says Rs 10,671 crore would be provided for the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan. Well, the two per cent cess on education has fetched the government Rs 10,393 crore. Similarly, they have allocated Rs 6,483 crore for higher education. And the extra one per cent cess will get them about Rs 5,200 crore. If the taxpayer is paying for the education, what is the government giving?" she asks, appalled that the UPA government is saying that education is the highlight of its Budget. "Where is the allocation from the Budget?"

Well set on her path of dismembering UPA claims, she continues: "You say India is a knowledge economy and that this will be the strength on which we will compete globally. But for that you have to spend huge amounts. Only then can education be a cornerstone. But where is the budgetary support? If you give peanuts and take that too from the people, how would you bring education at par?"

Swaraj slams the Budget as one of "missed opportunities". Disappointment at the fact that the FM has presented what has universally been called a flat exercise, the BJP leader points out that this is the UPA's fourth Budget. And that it also comes a year before General Elections.

"We had expected much from this Budget, that it would take advantage of this. The next Budget will necessarily be a populist one, full of glossy promises. They could have done so much this year. This one is a Budget of missed opportunity. There is no direction to it. It is devoid of sheen."

And then, she invokes what in the next few days is likely to become drawing room conversation in Indian homes. "The housewife wanted a reduction in her ration bill. But in fact, only those who feed their pets imported dog food will see a cut in their ration bill. It's so strange that man's food has become expensive and dog food cheaper."

Trust the seasoned politician to aim where it matters. The middle-class stomach.